Jayhawk Conference lauds LHS grad

When Logan Ryan signed his letter-of-intent last year to play football at Highland Community College, he expected to compete against some top-tier talent.

Highland competes in the Jayhawk Conference, and that league is widely regarded as the top junior college football conference in the nation.

Ryan, a 2006 Lansing High graduate, played against the best this fall and, by season's end, became one of the best. He was recognized last week for his work on the offensive line as an All-Jayhawk Conference Honorable Mention selection at guard.

"It surprised me," Ryan said of earning conference honors. "I didn't think I was going to do that well. I'm real happy about it. I hope I can do better next year."

If he stays healthy and continues to improve, Ryan could see his stock rise next year. The first- and second-team selections at the position were sophomores, so that means Ryan will be one of the league's top returning guards.

Four-year colleges routinely pluck players away from Jayhawk Conference programs. Ryan said he hopes a similar fate is in his future.

"I would like to go to Washburn and play, but we'll see what happens," Ryan said. "It just depends on what schools I hear from."

Ryan bulked up from his high school playing weight of 240 pounds to a bulky 270 this year. He said he plans to maintain that weight next year and will try to get stronger.

"I put on a little bit of fat," he said. "But right now I'm working on switching that into muscle. I've got a pretty good (strength) program I'm using right now."

When he's not working out, Ryan said he is taking care of business in the classroom.

"I'm doing pretty good right now," he said of his classes as he pursues an associates degree in science.

Highland posted a 3-6 record this season, but Ryan said there were two major highlights for him this season. The first was competing against former LHS teammates Ryan Robbins and Jeff Slater, who play at Dodge City. The second, and most vivid, was closing out the season with a 43-29 victory at home against No. 1-ranked Butler County.

"It was probably the most people we had at a game all year," Ryan said. "There was a lot of hype during the week, and we were ready for it."